The boo birds have been raining down on USA center Joel Embiid nonstop during the Olympics and while Embiid has brushed off the criticism, his teammates are coming to bat for him.
Per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, Team USA star Anthony Edwards addressed the booing that Embiid has received throughout the Olympics. He chalked it up to people being mad that Embiid chose to represent the United States rather than France.
“It’s OK. He’s with us. Be mad. We don’t care,” Edwards said. “He chose us over y’all, so it’s all good.”
After not playing at all against South Sudan earlier this week, Team USA head coach Steve Kerr put Embiid back in the rotation for today’s game against Puerto Rico. Embiid had been struggling earlier in the tournament, putting up an abyssmal
It clearly lit a fire under Embiid as he recorded 15 points and three rebounds in 23 minutes in a 104-83 rout.
Edwards led the way with 26 points – the most of any U.S. player in the Olympics so far.
It seems the Embiid finally has his head on right after some struggles this summer.
Will Embiid continue playing well as Team USA continues on its quest for another gold medal?
Related: Joel Embiid Has Made A Decision On The Summer Olympics